A Humboldt High School teacher has accepted a five-day unpaid suspension for harassing and retaliating against a student.

Martin Appelbaum, who teaches family and consumer science at the school on St. Paul’s West Side, “continuously made inappropriate comments” to a particular student this school year, according to a November discipline letter released in response to a Pioneer Press records request.

The teacher remarked more than once about the student’s “cute gym clothes,” the letter says. And during the fitness portion of the class, he used his cellphone to take a picture of the student without permission.

Appelbaum told the student the photo was for Schoology, the online learning platform teachers use, but he never posted it. He told a district investigator he often takes photos of students to document what happens in class.

Two days after the photo was taken, the student dropped his class. That day, Appelbaum apparently changed the student’s grade from an A to a failing grade but attributed the change to “something goofy” with Schoology.

The discipline letter, signed by assistant superintendent Theresa Battle, said Appelbaum’s behavior was harassment and that he retaliated by changing the student’s grade.

In response to a request for comment, Appelbaum said by email that he accepted his punishment.

“I am deeply sorry that my comments and subsequent actions made a student feel uncomfortable. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on this situation and understand my choice of words and actions can have an unintended yet profound impact on students. I have accepted the consequences that the district felt were appropriate,” he said.

In 2008, he was suspended for one day for showing two classes a graphic video that argued against circumcision. He told an investigator that circumcision was not part of his regular curriculum but students had asked about it.

Josh has written about St. Paul public schools and higher education for the Pioneer Press since 2014, 11 years after the paper first published his byline as a University of Minnesota intern. He did a two-year stint on city government and crime in Austin, Minn., and spent seven years in Sioux Falls, S.D. covering crime and education, as well as editing. Josh was good at baseball once. Now he plays tennis against old men.

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